Boston Whaler 16 ' 7 " looking to buy

rfuerst911sc · 11-02-2013, 02:00 PM

Since I finished the restoration of my 13 ' Whaler I have been looking to go a little larger. I really like the quality of a Whaler so would prefer to stay with. Found a 1970 hull that has had a complete interior/exterior restoration with Imron paint. Has a 1999 Evinrude 115 hp outboard with 1.5 hours on it !!! This has been confirmed. She sits on a single axle galvanized trailer. It has a center console with NO gauges and does NOT have a helm seat. So it is a restoration that needs the final touches. I have a bunch of pics from the seller she is very clean. Asking price is $6500.00 what do you guys think ? From what I can tell from the pics supplied the hull is a 9 out of 10. The engine being brand new is a plus even though it is 14 years old. Trailer looks to be in great shape. To my eye she is a diamond in the rough with very little polishing needed. I would be selling the 13 ' but can purchase this 17 outright and then sell the 13 ' later. What do you guys think ?

drcoastline · 11-03-2013, 03:31 AM

It sounds like an OK deal. The 17' Whaler has a cult following and is a nice little boat. They are built like tanks. The Engine is the question. While it may be "new" it is from the bad years. OMC the company that owned Johnson/Evinrude was having quality issues in the late 90's. They were considered the bad years. Just prior to the companies bankruptcy and liquidation and purchase by Bombardier.

The engine is a crap shoot. It's 14 years old with 1.5 hours? Maybe that's because it wont stay running. When Bombardier purchased OMC they refused to honor the OMC warranties. That is how bad the quality was.

The hull is worth $3,000.00 - $3,500.00 based on your description.
The trailer assuming decent shape no rust, good tires, working lights, new bearings maybe is worth $300.00 - $500.00

I'm not so sure I would pay $1,800.00 - $2,000.00 for a late 90's OMC engine. A Suzuki or Yamaha? With a million hours for sure. It's a shame because I have always been an OMC fan. The earlier 115's were awesome. I'd pay a $1,000.00 for a good running 1970-1980 115 but I don't know I would risk a 1.5 hour 1999.

See if they will sell you the boat and trailer for $3,500.00 then go finance a new Evinrude Etech. You will get 2 stroke torque, 4 stroke economy, and a warranty.

rfuerst911sc · 11-03-2013, 03:50 AM

Here's the story on the engine as told to me by the seller which is the dealer that originally sold/rigged the engine to this boat. The owner of the boat a few years ago had to repower. This dealer had a " left over " 1999 115 Evinrude from a previous 100 engine buy. So it was in the shipping crate for many years at the dealership. They rigged the boat, fired it up, did whatever adjustments/tuning were needed and the owner picked up the boat. He ran it only 3-4 times on the water and decided the boat needed a restoration. Motor was pulled off and the restoration began. Boat restoration was completed and the motor was put back on. Seller never drove it again due to failing health. The rig sat for a few years and now the son wants to sell the boat. The dealer has confirmed that the computer shows 1.6 hours and that the latest software has been loaded. Having said all that I know the early Ficht engines had problems but most of the search results I have found tends to say it was the V6 engines that had the problems not the V4's. The selling dealer in the past month has done a $400.00 service replacing fuel lines, filters in anticipation of selling. So if it is a " good one " it could run for the next 10-15 years but if it is a dog it could be a money pit. But the overall price is attractive just for the restoration of the hull. The trailer is a single axle galvanized from a Hydrosport boat so not specific for this hull but is a bunk trailer that I suppose supports the hull well. It appears to have no rust. The boat however does not have any helm seating so that will have to be purchased. If purchased new the RPS seating is about $700.00 so I need to factor that in. To be honest I'm old school and am nervous about any manufacturers EFI system on an outboard, much more complicated for a DIYer. If this had an OMC 70 hp triple with carb's I would have already bought it ! I am not interested in buying anyones new outboard just not going to spend that kind of money. At the end of the day I may just keep my 13 ' Whaler which is paid for

HardDrive · 11-03-2013, 06:58 AM

My dad has a 21' Sea Ray center console down in the FL keys he will be selling. I could get specs if you have any interest.

johnsjmc · 11-03-2013, 07:11 AM

I have a similar boat 17 ft guardian model Whaler (1987) ,powered by a 2003 90 hp etec.
Aluminum trailer. Hull needs wood seats restored,added wood anchor hatch to replace starboard cover. Paid $6000 several years ago,when it looked a little newer.
The restored hull is worth most of the money. You can buy a used outboard if needed.

HardDrive · 11-03-2013, 07:11 AM

135 Mercury Black Max two stroke. Its been maintained and kept wrapped during the off season. I believe he wants $3500 for it.

johnsjmc · 11-03-2013, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

135 Mercury Black Max two stroke. Its been maintained and kept wrapped during the off season. I believe he wants $3500 for it.

135 hp is way too much for the 17 ft whaler. max is 90 or 100 hp . Less if a 4 stroke too because of the added stern weight. But lots of other used outboard motors available.

rfuerst911sc · 11-03-2013, 10:41 AM

17 foot Whaler had a factory rating of 100 hp, yes you can go a little bigger but the real issue becomes weight. There really is no reason to push a Whaler past 45 mph and low 40's is good enough for me. A 70 hp triple will get you 40 if it's in good tune. Maybe I'll make an offer on the hull and trailer I need to think about it. Thanks guys

rfuerst911sc · 11-03-2013, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HardDrive

My dad has a 21' Sea Ray center console down in the FL keys he will be selling. I could get specs if you have any interest.

Appreciate the offer but I don't want to go that long due to storage requirements.

drcoastline · 11-21-2013, 04:20 AM

rfuerst911sc,

Not sure if you are still working this deal but here is one in NJ fully restored it may be a bit far for you to acquire but maybe you can use it as a bench mark for negotiations.

1972 17' Boston Whaler For Trade

rfuerst911sc · 11-21-2013, 02:42 PM

drcoastline if I was closer I would buy that one it's damn near perfect for a great price. I decided to walk away from the one I was looking at I just couldn't get past the bad press on the Ficht engine. I will keep looking. Thanks for the link though.

drcoastline · 11-21-2013, 04:26 PM

If you have any interest the town is about 25 minutes away from me. I would be happy to do a PPI.

rfuerst911sc · 11-22-2013, 02:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drcoastline

If you have any interest the town is about 25 minutes away from me. I would be happy to do a PPI.

Man you are making this very tempting

. I'm not sure I can fit a road trip to Jersey into the schedule with the upcoming holidays but this rig is exactly what I'm looking for. Let me think about it a little bit and I may PM you. Either way thanks for the offer.